http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-s ... n-hitchensWriter and former prime minister to debate role of religion in Toronto.
Despite his recent diagnosis with oesophageal cancer, Christopher Hitchens (who I interviewed earlier this year) has continued to debate religious figures, most recently Tariq Ramadan, across the United States.
Now he's due to face the Vicar of Albion himself, Tony Blair. Blair has agreed to debate Hitchens in Toronto on 26 November (the event will be streamed live online) on the motion: "Is religion a force for peace or conflict in the modern world?"
Hitchens was an ardent supporter of Blair's wars in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, but he has long opposed what he describes as the former prime minister's "sickly piety".
On Blair, he said: "He couldn't do it while he was prime minister, but he went 'over to Rome' as soon as he could. Very bizarrely he did this at one of the most conservative times for the Catholic Church, under one of the most conservative Popes".
"I've never had the chance to sit down and talk it through with him ... It's not like I'm going to be arguing with Pat Robertson. Mr. Blair's a much more complex person than that," he added.
Whether Blair, who hasn't done much jousting since his Commons days, is battle-ready remains to be seen. But either way, one suspects that the encounter will be more respectful than the famous duel between Hitchens ("a drink-soaked former Trotskyite popinjay") and George Galloway ("a sub-Leninist, East End carpetbagger").
Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
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Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens to face off over religion
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
Strange bedfellows indeed! Arriving at many of the same conclusions via very different paths. I hope Hitchens is up to it - health-wise that is.
Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
Libertarianism: The belief that out of all the terrible things governments can do, helping people is the absolute worst.
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
Is there any audio of this?
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
Based on what I read in the transcripts, he was very much up to it! CH pawned Tony.Rum wrote:Strange bedfellows indeed! Arriving at many of the same conclusions via very different paths. I hope Hitchens is up to it - health-wise that is.

Atheists have always argued that this world is all that we have, and that our duty is to one another to make the very most and best of it. ~Christopher Hitchens~
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/379 ... 3be9_o.jpg[/imgc]
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
Will there be a video? 

A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return.
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Salman Rushdie
You talk to God, you're religious. God talks to you, you're psychotic.
House MD
Who needs a meaning anyway, I'd settle anyday for a very fine view.
Sandy Denny
This is the wrong forum for bluffing

Paco
Yes, yes. But first I need to show you this venomous fish!
Calilasseia
I think we should do whatever Pawiz wants.
Twoflower
Bella squats momentarily then waddles on still peeing, like a horse
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
was transmitted via BBC somehow.Xamonas Chegwé wrote:Will there be a video?
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
[Disclaimer - if this is comes across like I think I know what I'm talking about, I want to make it clear that I don't. I'm just trying to get my thoughts down]
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
Watching now.

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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
I've lost 14 minutes of my life watching the intro! 

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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
Did you find any sensible playlist? We have muddled through the first 45 minutes or so with M, but it is hard to figure out which video is the next one in the chronology. As Hitch is excellent, this is doubly irritating.Deep Sea Isopod wrote:I've lost 14 minutes of my life watching the intro!

"The internet is made of people. People matter. This includes you. Stop trying to sell everything about yourself to everyone. Don’t just hammer away and repeat and talk at people—talk TO people. It’s organic. Make stuff for the internet that matters to you, even if it seems stupid. Do it because it’s good and feels important. Put up more cat pictures. Make more songs. Show your doodles. Give things away and take things that are free." - Maureen J
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
Here's the second vid.Ronja wrote:Did you find any sensible playlist? We have muddled through the first 45 minutes or so with M, but it is hard to figure out which video is the next one in the chronology. As Hitch is excellent, this is doubly irritating.Deep Sea Isopod wrote:I've lost 14 minutes of my life watching the intro!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoKlXqDI ... re=related[/youtube]
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
It's all over the bloody place....
Part 3
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBBHMFiZ ... re=related[/youtube]
Part 3
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBBHMFiZ ... re=related[/youtube]
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
Part 4
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TAG_kRs ... re=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TAG_kRs ... re=related[/youtube]
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Re: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
It sure is! Thanks for figuring out the order & posting - we owe you one.Deep Sea Isopod wrote:It's all over the bloody place....

I had a fit of exasperated giggles already at Tony Blair's opening remarks towards the end of part 2 "...I do not consider the leader of North Korea a religious icon..." Already there he went kind of wrong, 'cause trying to make a clear distinction between "religious" dogma and "other" dogma is, IMO, utterly pointless. Dogma is dogmatic, and all the other stupidity and craziness flows from that.
Edit: more exact wording (I hope)
"The internet is made of people. People matter. This includes you. Stop trying to sell everything about yourself to everyone. Don’t just hammer away and repeat and talk at people—talk TO people. It’s organic. Make stuff for the internet that matters to you, even if it seems stupid. Do it because it’s good and feels important. Put up more cat pictures. Make more songs. Show your doodles. Give things away and take things that are free." - Maureen J
"...anyone who says it’s “just the Internet” can
. And then when they come back, they can
again." - Tigger
"...anyone who says it’s “just the Internet” can


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